I recently underwent the misfotune of installing this product in our brand new 3mx7m conservatory.
On opening the packs, some lengths were already damaged, the edges are also very easily damaged when installing.
Initially installation seems quite straightforward, however when you start on the second row you realise it isn't all plain sailing when you get to the third length because the installation method requires you to lift the whole row. This is almost impossible at the third length without the first length coming away. To get round this earlier boards have to be weighed down. Installation then becomes very physical because to get the boards to slide and click in place actually requires them to be lifted nearer to 7cm rather than the 3cm quoted in the instructions. I'm a powerlifter and had trouble with it so how people of lesser strength would cope I do not know. There is a nack to it which requires you to lie on the floor and use your whole body weight to lever the board up and then use a series of tugs to get the board to click into place. If you don't get a board to fit first or second time you run the risk of damaging the edge, requiring another board to be used.
Installation for 3m x 7m took around two days. I was very careful to aclimatise the boards to the room beforehand although, in this case they were layed over an under-floor heating system. I'm not quite sure how you are supposed to acclimatise them to that as the only way is surely to have them in place over the heating system while switched on? I was also very careful to ensure all the boards were properly clicked and locked in place and as tight as possible with no gaps.
The flooring has now been in place for 5 weeks and the boards have moved and shrunk so much that there are gaps everywhere. In one place the boards have completely come apart at an end joint. Seeing as the boards were layed prior to the skirting and go underneath repair/replacement will not only involve ripping up the entire floor but also detaching all of the skirting from the walls. This will prove to be extremely expensive.
I have since seen this flooring in another conservatory of a similar size, also with underfloor heating. Exactly the same thing has happened with the floor coming apart at the joints. Where this has happened the floor has also become damaged at the exposed edges again leaving a very expensive job to repair.
Avoid like the plague!
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Advantages: easy to clean, looks good, can be cheaper than carpeting, great if you have children or pets running in and out Disadvantages: difficult to put together
ginger59 14.03.2004 ·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of B&Q Flooring
Advantages: easy to wipe clean, better for asthmatic children and more hygienic than carpet Disadvantages: shows dirt quicker than carpet and can be noisier
di-buzz 04.10.2001 ·
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Review of B&Q Flooring
Feb 6th, 2009
very helpful by (100%):
